## Helping Hands Ministries ## Annual Trustees Report For the financial year January 1[st] 2025 to December 31[st] 2025 – Registered Charity in Northern Ireland Charity Number 1029266 ## **1.0 Introduction** The trustees of Helping Hands ministries are pleased to submit their report and accounts for the financial year January 1[st] 2025 to December 31[st] 2025. The charity was officially registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on November 17[th] 2015 so this is the Tenth annual report of this kind produced by the charity. ## **2.0 Activities and Achievements** ## **2.1. Raising awareness and funding in Northern Ireland** Over the past financial year, we have continued to share with churches, groups and organisations of the work of Helping Hands Ministries. This enables people to learn of life in Romania, and how their donations and prayers can help and support these needy children and their families. We are very grateful for all faithful people to continue to pray and for all their generous donations and contributions that have been made throughout year. ## **2.2 Pastor Cristi. Good Shepherd Church.** Ongoing financial support has been sent throughout the year for the youth outreach programme and the hiring of the sports centre. Money was sent in June to Pastor Cristi to allow 10 children to attend summer camp, who otherwise would have been unable to attend. ## **2.3 Fratositsia.** Financial support has been sent regularly throughout the year to help with the kids programme. A new kids club leader was appointed in early summer, and the kids club continues weekly. Videos have been sent to Helping Hands Ministries and this has been an encouragement to see the children participating in their club. ## **2.4 Coffee Morning** A very successful coffee morning was held on 31st May. It was well attended with about 80 people enjoying a cuppa, treats and fellowship. Through people’s kindness and generosity £1990 was raised. ## **2.5 Concert** On the evening of 4[th] October, a concert was held in the Everglades Hotel (Prehen) This was an amazing success and enjoyed by all who attended. The main artists included – Miriam & Lisa Ciuculescu (Pastor Cristi’s daughters), Joe Deery & U3A choir. The musical director was Jim Goodman and Accompanist Elizabeth Charlesson. Approx £4600 was raised through the concert. ## **2.6 Adina.** Support continues to be sent to Adina to help with her educational expenses as a medical student. ## **2.7 CEF Camps.** Throughout the year a number of donations have been sent to CEF Romania, for the support of camps and projects. This enables children who would normally be unable to attend camp to go along. Also donations sent helped fund a project to reach 300,000 children in Romania & Ukraine with the gospel. ## **3.0 Financial Review** For the financial year 1[st] January 2025 to December 31[st] 2025 the accounts had an excess of income over expenditure of £2504.66 For more details of our accounts information for this year please refer to the accounts and independent examiner’s report prepared alongside this report. ## **4.0 Reference and Administrative Details** ## **4.1 Charity Name** The Charity is officially registered as and known as Helping Hands Ministries. ## **4.2 Charity Number** Registered Charity in Northern Ireland number 102926 ## **4.3 Principal Address** Mr David Baxter, 68 Dunnalong Road, Bready, Strabane, County Tyrone, BT82 0DW ## **4.4 Charity Trustees as of January 1[st] 2025** Mr David Baxter Chairman Mrs Christine Holmes Treasurer Dr Richard Baxter Mr Gareth Kirk ## **4.5 Other Charity Trustees in the year to December 31[st] 2025** Nil ## **5.0 Structure Governance and Management** ## **5.1 Governing Document and Constitution** Helping Hands ministries is governed by a constitution adopted on its date of registration, November 17[th] , 2015 and which had not undergone any amendments by the end of 2025. The details of which are available on the charity commission website at = http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/charitydetails/?regid 102926&subi = d 0 The Charity is run by its board of trustees which as of December 31[st ] 2025 consists of 4 persons detailed in section 4.4 of this report. ## **5.2 Trustee Selection and Management** The charity is run by its board of trustees who meet as required given the small size of the charity, the distance over which it operates and the variation in the length of the projects it undertakes. The decision as to when the trustees will meet is usually undertaken at the previous meeting and is often scheduled after trips to Romania or large events to enable timely and relevant reporting of activities however meetings may also be arranged on an ad hoc basis if unexpected developments arise. There are usually around three meetings per year. Any appointment of trustees is decided by the board as required by ## **6.0 Objectives and Activities** ## **6.1 Charitable Objects** The object of Helping Hands ministries is to relieve and prevent poverty and do so by bringing helping hands humanitarian aid to various recognised areas of need and disadvantage in Romania and support the educational system through school attendance. We do so by forging links with churches and youth organisations both in Northern Ireland and in Romania so that we might further the Christian faith through its practical outworking of bringing aid to those in need. Our charitable purposes under Northern Ireland charity law are the following: - the prevention or relief of poverty - the advancement of education - the advancement of citizenship or community development ## **6.2 Public Benefit Statement** The Trustees of Helping Hands Ministries can confirm that they have complied with their statutory duty to have regard for the Charity Commission’s guidance on the public benefit requirement of charities and this has informed all the actions and decisions undertaken by Helping Hands Ministries. In evaluating public benefit the trustees note that much of the aid we deliver is distributed through local churches in Romania as they are in a better position to effectively distribute aid on a week to week basis than a group based in Northern Ireland. Moreover this method of distribution is an effective method of ensuring that the aid provided is associated with the Christian faith in line with our charitable purposes and objectives. However with this in mind we ensure that the youth groups and activities that we support through the churches and facilities that we help provide are to be available and open not just to church members but to all members of the local community. Furthermore we also help support outreach that is specifically aimed at those in the communities who are not members of the local churches. We do occasionally limit access to certain projects but only where appropriate for the nature of the project for example we invited only pastors and church workers to the pastors’ conference because we felt they were a group that particularly needed support as they don’t have many of the conferences in Romania that they would here and the nature of the talks was thus aimed specifically to be of benefit to them and the benefit to the wider populace could come in turn through them in supporting and further equipping them for their work and fostering the community relations. Similarly youth or children’s events are limited to specific age groups because the nature of the activities and materials are tailored to that age group and more importantly for child protection. We also make a point of trying to work with multiple villages in need in that area of Romania rather than just focussing on one to attempt to ensure that the support we provide reaches those most in need and not just one specific group. 7.0 Si natures